The G20 Labour Ministers Meeting was held in Moscow

On July 18-19, 2013 the G20 Labour Ministers Meeting was held in Moscow. The Ministers discussed the global labour market situation and employment challenges faced by the G20 countries, as well as measures necessary for ensuring strong, sustainable, and balanced growth.

Minister of Labour and Social Protection of the Russian Federation Maxim Topilin in his address reminded that fostering economic growth is the priority of the Russian G20 Presidency. To attain this goal, Minister outlined the three main instruments in the sphere of employment and labour market regulation, namely, job creation, integration of labour market policy with macroeconomic and financial policies, and development of social protection systems.

According to Maxim Topilin, it is necessary to consider job creation from the perspective of its being a source of growth, than its consequence, and concentrate the efforts on providing the conditions for new jobs creation. Job creation is crucial for all countries regardless of the level of unemployment or level of informal employment. Both groups of countries - those with stable market mechanisms and those with high influence of government - need new quality and highly productive jobs.

Likewise, the best result can only be achieved through labour market policy integration with economic and financial policies, and will be the case if it is not considered as separate or secondary. Labour market policy cannot be limited labour supply issues only, but should cover the issues of stimulating labour demand as well.

Finally, while implementing any reforms or transformation in the G20 economies and at the labour market, human and human rights should be central, therefore social protection systems development and modernization make another necessary precondition for economic growth and inclusive society.

"We realise that there is no unified recipe for all counties, with respect to defining how to improve employment situation and economic growth," Maxim Topilin emphasized. "Nevertheless, we are convinced that the G20 countries can formulate consistent packages of measures and recommendations from which every country would select its own set that suits it best at the moment."

The main result of the meeting was the adoption of the final G20 Labour Ministers' Declaration, which describes the attitude of all the G20 countries on ways to support inclusive economic growth through job creation, labour market activation and monitoring of progress made by countries in implementing their commitments in the sphere of employment.